Seven children die from COVID-19
Dr Waqainabete said conditions for infected children ranged from those who were asymptomatic, and mostly those who had picked up the virus because an adult was positive in the family
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services recorded seven deaths from children aged zero to 19 years during the second wave of COVID-19 outbreak since April this year.
Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete said this was after more than 8000 COVID-19 cases were recorded in the same period.
He made the statement while responding to an oral question by SODELPA Member of Parliament Ratu Tevita Navurelevu who asked about the severity of the COVID-19 infections in children under 18 years of age since the beginning of the second wave.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, during this outbreak, we have recorded 8345 children with COVID-19 from zero to 19 years,” he said.
“We also had seven deaths in children from zero to 19 years in this age group and from the doctors’ perspective and also the Ministry of Health, they continue to find the mechanisms in which there is a significant transmission between children.
“We know some of them, some of them are the fact that we actually have bigger families, the fact that we actually have communal
living, the fact that we have had upsurge of the infection in communities with which we have had the density of many of us living together and those are some of the reasons.”
Conditions
Dr Waqainabete said conditions for infected children ranged from those who were asymptomatic, and mostly those who had picked up the virus because an adult was positive in the family.
“We have also had asymptomatic children and we had those who were very unwell and needed hospitalisation, they needed critical care support in some instances.”
He added the best way to protect children that remained ineligible for vaccination was for adults to be vaccinated to help stop the spread of the virus.